Forever, A Day, And An Eternity
by Artistic-Chaos
Summary: "Do it, Sasuke!" He couldnt. He couldnt swing that sword and kill him. And because he couldnt, their lives were forever changed. "Walk by my side Forever, Naruto." "F-Forever?" "Forever, a Day, and an Eternity." COMPLETE REWRITE Ch. 1-4 4/19/12
1. What Happened To You, Naruto?

**Note: **This was re-written on March 31, 2012 opposed to its initial published date of April 8, 2010.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or any of the characters involved in it.

_Swish._

How one simple sound could change everything, Naruto didn't know. It was a sound he knew well, having heard it multiple times. A sword being unsheathed. The body pressed against him was solid; warm despite the coldness that was infecting his soul like a virus. His body was so much larger than Naruto himself, as he had always been, even when they were both two innocent boys. The memories that flooded his mind had Naruto choking up a little, remembering the days before Sasuke's eyes had turned cold. Heartless. Before Naruto had learned that the world was just as cold, and grew a deep hatred that even Sasuke couldn't understand.

Naruto's eyes fell to a close, unable to look at the man who had once been his best friend. His brother. And so much more that, in a different world, they could have explored; maybe in a different world, they could have become more. Sasuke's blade finally inched free, and it stood there in his hand, glinting gravely in the sunlight. Naruto opened his eyes just enough to see clearly, and with that, gazed over Sasuke's shoulder. If he couldn't save his friend, why should he be here? He had no ties to his village, not anymore. So much had happened to him, since the moment he was born. Would Sasuke finally free him from that pain?

"Do it…Sasuke…"

A simple whisper; no emotion carried on the syllables, except perhaps, if you looked and listened closely, a quiet resignation. And, even deeper, an agony that nobody could ever hope to understand. Sasuke stiffened slightly as the wind carried the whispered words to his ears. "Are you really going to so readily hand over your life?" The blade didn't move an inch, hanging their menacingly, the sunlight running along the edge of it in intricate patterns that, on any other day, would have had Naruto mesmerized.

Naruto didn't move, remaining quiet and almost docile in Sasuke's hold. One arm resting on Naruto's shoulder. So close to the embraces they used to share, simple hugs and rough-and-tumble grasps; a simple arm thrown around the shoulder of a friend after a mission completed and well-done. "Yes."

Sasuke hesitated. Deep obsidian eyes watched the tanned face before him, taking in the lack of emotion in his expression, in the calm acceptance in his normally willful, beautiful eyes. Naruto's eyes slid shut once again, not wanting Sasuke to see what he had become, hiding the beautiful blue. Sakura, Sai, and Yamato were all object loudly, but didn't dare approach with how easily Sasuke could hurt Naruto. Could kill him.

"Come on Sasuke…You want power. Killing me will help you get there faster. Do it."

Sasuke tightened up at the reply he had never thought to receive, looking at Sakura for confirmation of what he just heard. Sakura's green eyes were wide, and tears were streaming down her reddened cheeks. Sasuke guessed he'd heard right. Buy why in the world would Naruto say something like that? Why would he willingly give up his life, when most of it had been spent preparing himself, trying to bring Sasuke back? When he had so many dreams?

Naruto felt slight anger fill in his chest, trying not to succumb to the other emotions he didn't dare acknowledge that flittered around his heart. He just wanted it to be over, and Sasuke was fucking hesitating. All these years he'd been trying to kill Naruto. Hell, he'd even shoved a Chidori through this chest! So why, why now? Why was he hesitating _now?_ "Do it, Sasuke. Don't think, just swing! That's how easy it is! It's what you've always wanted!"

His tone was harsher than before, and Sasuke flinched, tightening his hand convulsively around the handle of his katana, face drawn in a mix of confusion and anger. Had his once best friend really turned into this? Sasuke shifted, eyes flashing, and he tightened his grip on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto grit his teeth, practically trembling under Sasuke's touch, but he didn't move. Didn't try to break away, fight him. And for once Sasuke wanted that. He wanted Naruto to scream at him, to try and break away, to fight him, to do _something!_ Kami, anything but sitting there waiting for his death, _begging_ for his death!

"Do it, Sasuke!"

Sasuke made a deep rumbling sound in his throat. He was so utterly confused, and confusion didn't settle well with the sole surviving Uchiha and he just wanted to slap Naruto for being so idiotic. He was at war with himself. He only wanted to kill Naruto so he could get stronger, but killing him like this would accomplish nothing. It would hurt him, because as much as he despised it at times he still cared for the petite blonde held within his grasp. Thoughts and scenarios flashed through Sasuke's mind, because he couldn't do it. He couldn't kill him. Something had happened to his old best friend, something that made him dark and vengeful, he could see it despite Naruto trying to hide it, and he wanted to know what it was.

"Do it!"

Sasuke growled in frustration, clenching his hand in Naruto's garish orange top. Then, a flash erupted, making Naruto squeak and jump forward into Sasuke's chest, and after catching himself he scowled fiercely at what he had unintentionally done. Orochimaru stood next to the pair, and Naruto, recovered from the shock, lazily glanced over, not even stiffening when his eyes met gold. They remained silent for a moment, sizing each other up. It was a tense reunion, and the other three from the makeshift Team 7 were now realizing that this was something they couldn't win. But they couldn't leave, even though Yamato was signaling it. Sai didn't care for his orders, and Sakura was mindless over her love for Sasuke and not wanting to leave Naruto behind.

"Orochimaru."

"Uzumaki."

Sasuke glanced over to his teacher, and they shared a look, black on gold. Orochimaru finally nodded silently, and Sasuke took action. Grabbing the back of Naruto's neck and pushing him into safety behind him. Naruto stumbled forward in surprise, turning and finding himself staring at Sasuke's back. Sasuke steadied his stance, eyeing the three standing shocked in front of him. Mice to the predator Sasuke was. There was no escape for them.

Sasuke rapidly swung his sword, twisting it with deathly precision. The blade moved effortlessly in his grasp, and his chakra started to flow through it before the words even started to form in his mouth.

"Chidori Nagashi!"

Sai, Sakura, and Yamamato all fell to the ground, paralyzed. Sasuke felt his eyebrow inch up his forehead in wonderment. They had been so easy; probably from the shock of Naruto's words. Not that they'd had much leverage, there was no way they could have escaped his attack, maybe Yamato but he had had his eyes on Orochimaru the whole time.

Speaking of Naruto, Sasuke looked over his shoulder, and nearly let his jaw drop. Naruto stood there, hands clasped behind his head, lazily looking back at Sasuke, standing next to Orochimaru as if they were old friends. There was no trace of sorrow in his eyes as he looked at his friends, and finally he tore his gaze from them to look at the exchange that was happening between his best friend and Orochimaru.

Sasuke cast a furious look to Orochimaru, who responded in their silent conversation. Though Naruto could understand none of it, he knew that Sasuke was confused and pissed off because of how he had been acting, and Orochimaru was plotting something with how Sasuke was looking at him, almost as if daring him to do something. Sasuke turned to Naruto, who flinched away in surprise as he grabbed his wrist, and transported them a few miles away.

"Why…aren't you fazed?"

Naruto shrugged and fell back against a tree, letting it support him. "I Hated them anyways, why should I care. I trust you, though I really shouldn't considering what you've done to me, and I'm willing to trust Snakey there, but I could care less about them."

Sasuke blanched, and cast another look to Orochimaru, starting another silent conversation the vessel couldn't understand. It was starting to make him extremely angry how he couldn't judge what they were saying, knowing it involved him. Orochimaru nodded in acceptance, looking almost gleeful at this sudden turn of events. Naruto wasn't buying it, and sent him a snarl just because he could.

"Where are you going to go now? You can't return to Konoha after this, it's a form of betrayal."

Naruto shrugged it off as though they were talking about the weather. He had known long before this would happen; he wasn't as stupid as people believed him to be. He traced a finger down the tree, and it swayed and made a settling noise, almost as if it was sighing. The birds within its branches sang prettily, only quieting when Naruto removed his finger. The other two watched, one fascinated and the other gleeful. Naruto didn't seem to realize he'd done it, almost as if he'd done it thoughtlessly.

"I knew long before I came here that I would possibly end up betraying them. Didn't think it would be this late though. I have three choices, I guess. Akatsuki, travelling with or like Jiraiya, or with you guys, why?"

Sasuke felt his shoulders drop, keeping his face impassive despite wanting to show how shocked he was. Naruto was obviously taking this in stride, seeming to know what he was going to do. When had he become like this? Uncaring of what happened to him, obviously bitter- if not downright disgusted- towards the village he had wanted to lead, the one he had loved and cherished. Something had definitely changed.

"Sasuke-Kun…?"

Sasuke flinched and stiffened at the sly, giddy tone, recognizing the question in the words. Sasuke felt a wave of possessiveness and protectiveness overtake him, and he snarled, shielding Naruto with his body. He turned to face Orochimaru, knowing he was acting out of character, but something in him had roared with anger when he'd realized what Orochimaru was intending to do. That something was practically screaming that nobody could touch Naruto, that he was _his _and only his and he would rather die than let him be harmed. Naruto colored, but stayed obediently behind Sasuke.

"You won't hurt him."

Orochimaru smirked, looking almost ready to start bouncing around with how happy he was. Naruto didn't like that. Kyuubi rumbled in agreement. "I'll try to make it as painless as possible, alright? I'll even give the connection to you, Sasuke-Kun!"

Sasuke growled before stepping away; casting Naruto a sympathetic and pained look. Naruto looked between Orochimaru and Sasuke warily, body starting to tense up. But Orochimaru had anticipated this, and was already starting to make the movements needed, words spilling from his mouth. Naruto's eyes widened as he heard Orochimaru whisper the Jutsu's words. He cried out to the only other person there, not wanting what he knew was going to happen.

"S-Sasuke!"

Sasuke flinched and clenched his eyes, looking away as Naruto's desperate words reached his ears. It was shrill and scared. He couldn't remember ever having heard him scared, except on a few rare missions. He heard Orochimaru stretch out his neck, and then a brilliant, core-shocking, animalistic scream echoed around them. The birds that had been trilling at Naruto's command exploded out of the trees, circling the three and adding their voices to Naruto's heart-breaking scream before vanishing in a flurry of wings.

Sasuke recoiled violently and guiltily from the sound, and looked over. Naruto was swaying, eyes switching chameleon-like from Kyuubi to regular; flickering between deep crimson with slitted pupils to a fascinating blue with a regular round pupil. It only lasted a few seconds, and then Naruto's eyes closed, and he fell backward towards the ground. Acting on instinct, Sasuke leapt forward and caught him around the waist, pulling him up and positioning the blonde's head to rest in the crook of his neck.

Orochimaru licked his lips and eyed the smaller boy, wiping the remainders of Naruto's blood from his lips. It was disgusting, and Sasuke felt his stomach churn. He looked back down at Naruto and felt a rare stroke of sympathy. He knew very well how painful it was to be marked, and he wondered why he'd passed out so quickly. Sasuke had been in so much pain he wanted to, but apparently it was hard to with the nature of the Jutsu. "Tasted wonderful, that one!" he crooned, sounding even more strange and disgusting.

Sasuke growled possessively, and then blinked in surprise at his own actions. _Where is this feeling…coming from? _He shook it off and schooled his face into a calm, cool mask. Naruto was not going to make him feel again. Sasuke ran his thumb gently over the curse mark that now adorned the boy's neck, when he realized the shape was nearly completely different.

"What…did you do to him?" he asked voice deadly calm. Naruto remained limp and silent in his arms, and Sasuke couldn't help but feel that automatic reflex of horror that he always did. No matter how many times he told himself he wanted to kill Naruto…seeing him looking that way, it made him almost panic, like the time at the valley of the end. He'd thought Naruto was dead, and his heart had broken.

Orochimaru laughed, shrill and cunning. "Nothing to worry over, Sasuke-Kun. The only reason it's like that is because I gave the mental link to you. Plus, it may be because of the Kyuubi, or Naruto's…"

Orochimaru visibly corrected himself, coughing distractingly. Sasuke's orbs narrowed dangerously and he clutched Naruto tighter to his chest. His breath was warm and steady on Sasuke's neck, calming the irrational fear and settling his stomach back to where it should be.

"Naruto's _what_."

Orochimaru dropped his happy façade, returning to his serious, deadly personality. Sasuke knew he wasn't up to going against Orochimaru, especially not with Naruto needing him right now. "I am not telling you, Sasuke."

Sasuke growled, knowing he couldn't object. He swung Naruto up onto his back, holding onto him with his hands under Naruto's knees, disappearing through the forest towards Sound. Sasuke once again thought of the boy's Curse Mark. It was shaped like a spread lotus flower, with what seemed to be flames around it. It was very delicate, almost feminine, and though it didn't resemble a real mark, at the center was the same inked mark as Sasuke's. Along with the traditional mark, a small snake also wrapped around Naruto's head, its tail on his forehead, and then wrapping around, where its head met its tail in a crown-like symbol in black. Slowly, under his eyes, it faded. Sasuke quirked an eyebrow before looking again to the forest before him, concentrating on getting Naruto home so he could rest after Orochimaru's Jutsu.

Naruto arrived at Kyuubi's cage the moment he fell unconscious. Naruto looked up into the fox's large crimson eyes before he hit his knees, crying, his hands moving to wipe at them and cover his face. His body hitched with great sobs.

Kyuubi shushed him gently, picking him up with her tails and cradling him to her body. **"I know Kit, I know, It's going to be ok…"**

Naruto, before arriving at Kyuubi's cage, had walked down the hall of his memories, and couldn't help looking into them. It was a horrible decision. Every memory had to be lived through until the end, and it had broken Naruto down, destroying his mask of calm collectedness that he'd shown in Sasuke's presence. Naruto choked on a sob before he gently fell to the insistent pulling of sleep. Kyuubi lay him down on the ground, curling around him. Naruto's chest rose and fell steadily. Kyuubi watched over his dreams, and every time she sensed he was about to slip into a nightmare, she would push her presence into his mind and direct it into a better dream. Her kit deserved it after all he'd been through.

She stared out past her bars. Naruto had changed the inside with his mind, but the bars had to remain.

_**You better treat him well, Uchiha. Or I swear upon the gates of hell I will destroy you.**_

Sasuke sat in a chair next to Naruto's bed, watching the boy silently. For a few minutes he'd been writhing on the sheets, biting his lip until it bled. Obviously caught in some sort of agony in his mind. Then, it faded, and now his face was calm if not a little saddened.

_This is so confusing. Why the hell did he react like that? I know that some people didn't particularly like Naruto, but was it really because of the Kyuubi? And the way he handled me hurting his team…_

_Naruto._

_What happened to you?_


	2. The Test

**Note: **This was re-written on March 31, 2012 opposed to its initial published date of April 8, 2010.

**Disclaimer: I **do not own Naruto or any of the characters involved in it.

Orochimaru walked into the room where Sasuke sat on the side of the bed, watching Naruto sleep. The room was dark as the sun had set long ago, and there was only one window in the room otherwise, one that was directly level with the ground.

"Sasuke-Kun…"

Sasuke, having felt his presence and chakra long ago, simply turned his head to look accusingly at Orochimaru. Because of this man, Naruto was recovering on a bed and obviously had been hurt by the initial mark. With Naruto no longer belonging to Konoha, and now belonging to Sound, Sasuke's old feelings were trying to resurface. If they were on the same side now…maybe they could- Sasuke stopped the thought there. He would think through it when he was not in the presence of the creepy sennin. Said snake man simply chuckled darkly and licked his lips.

"Let's put Naruto-Kun through a little…test." Orochimaru said, stalking forward. Sasuke stood from the bed and glared at him, trying not to seem too protective and more nonchalant than anything.

"Only if you tell me what exactly you're going to do, and what you will gain from it," he said, his eyes narrowing. The air shifted, turning tense. Orochimaru obviously didn't like this new rebellion, or how protective Sasuke was of the snake mans new little toy. Orochimaru stepped towards the younger with a hiss, eyes narrowed warningly.

"Just because he has joined us does not mean you can be insolent, Sasuke."

Sasuke shivered and bowed his head, stepping away. Grinding his teeth, he forced his body to stay still, to not move between them as Orochimaru moved towards Naruto. Every nerve in his body was screaming at him, almost as if they were on fire, telling him to step between them, to keep Orochimaru away from the prone boy curled among the thin white sheets. He looked so innocent and angelic there, untainted, and he knew better than any other just how easily Orochimaru could stain your soul. He wouldn't let that happen to Naruto. The blonde was still innocent, it was obvious despite the obvious hatred that had shaken Sasuke to the core that morning.

"Now, let's get started!" Orochimaru cackled, and Sasuke grit his teeth and sent silent apologies towards the boy on the bed as he helped.

Naruto shifted and felt a small prick of pain, almost as if warning him. Alarms started going off in his head. His eyebrows drew together in annoyance, and tried once more to roll over. This time the prick turned into a stab, and he whimpered, his eyes fluttering. Blinking at the harsh sunlight that still managed to get through the window, he managed to keep them open and not move too much. Obviously that meant pain. Groggily he got his bearings and everything from the previous day snapped into place.

"Sasuke," he breathed in remembrance, trying to jump up into a sitting position. Instantly he felt resistance, and he choked, sharp pains spreading like fire along his neck. He flopped down again, his neck throbbing. He tried to raise his hand to feel his neck only to see that it, too, was unable to move. Restrained. Instantly Naruto began to panic, he couldn't handle being held down, caged. It was one of his greatest fears. Not being able to get away meant not being able to live another day. He'd learned that at the tender age of four. Naruto had no idea what was happening as he stared, aghast, at the object around his hands, and- he noted numbly- his ankles.

"B-Barbwire…?"

Naruto gave a small keen and tugged at the restraints, hissing in pain as the sharp points dug painfully into his skin, drawing small beads of blood. He craned his neck around and sure enough, there was a taut wire connected to his 'collar', chaining him to the bed. Naruto was panicking by then. He tugged at his restraints, thrashing his head. Blood spilled down his neck as he ripped his skin open in his struggling. He didn't understand anymore, he only knew that if he stayed like this somebody was going to hurt him. It was the only thing he could think, stuck in a mentality he'd had when he was younger and running from the villagers who hunted him down like prey. His eyes flew open to reveal crimson, and chakra started to flood the room, wild and strong in response to his untamed emotions. _**"Calm down, Kit!" **_Kyuubi spoke to him through their mental connection, voice commanding attention that Naruto gave to her.

Naruto slowed his movements and started to breath slowly. His neck burned fiercely, and he stubbornly bit back a cry. The mark was searing on his skin, making it feel like somebody was making the pattern with scalding metal. He tried his regular chakra first, letting it pulse around the areas where he was contained, hoping to shatter it as he'd done multiple times before in different situations. The barbed wire seemed to constrict on its own accord in response.

Ok, so no regular chakra. Kyuubi? He tried it, and let the red chakra seep out, only to have the wire constrict even more from its original position, making Naruto gag. Then it hit him. This was similar to Kakashi-Sensei's test. He had to think outside the box, and obviously throwing himself into a panic wasn't going to help. But this had a totally different answer. _Fucking snake! _He growled in his mind. It wasn't very clever, and if Naruto had thought it through before he'd panicked he would have easily figured it out. Which was what put him on edge. Obviously this was too easy for the sennin, so there had to be something else waiting for him after he got free. But right now that wasn't the problem. He honestly had no idea _how _to use the mark!

So he sat there, the metal slowly shrinking around his neck. He had to find out how, and fast, or he'd die of suffocation. He tried focusing chakra to the point in his neck, but it didn't work. Kyuubi whispered encouragement to him, and he focused more. Thinking. Obviously Sasuke was stronger with his mark when he was angry, so that meant the mark was wired to his emotions. So the only way to get it to work, especially when he has never used it, he had to be furious. Well, there was only one way to really get that job done.

He thought about Konoha, and his past. All of the people, who had teased, shunned, beat, and disregarded him. All of the times he was left half-dead on his birthday. The times when he would see the sadness in Iruka's eyes because he didn't want Naruto hurt. How Kakashi favored the others simply because he looked like his sensei. How the old man had simply ignored what the villagers were doing to him, when he could have helped!

The fury flooded through him like fire. Soon his shoulder was on fire, and then it was cold. Icy cold, blissful marks appeared over his skin. However unlike Sasuke's, which Naruto thought were extremely unattractive in their jagged shapes, his were beautiful. Sasuke's looked like flame, wild and disorganized. Naruto's was similar, but his were softer and not so striking against his complexion, looking more like the petals of the flower shape resting on the bend of his shoulder. His marks felt like ice, and he reveled in the relief from the heat.

The barbed wire, as if the mark was a trigger, shattered into brilliant crystals in the air before disappearing. Naruto sat up, caressing his neck gently and regaining his breath. As he pulled his hand away he grimaced at the site of blood staining his hand, knowing it was probably smeared gruesomely all over his neck. He caught sight of his arm and stared at it, enchanted by the marks that were nearly pretty. Slowly they faded under his eyes, returning back to the mark much like Sasuke's.

He shook his head and stood, looking around. There next to the bed was a dresser, and on it was a note.

_Dear Naruto-Kun,_

_If you are reading this, you have passed the first test. Now for the second! One way will lead to ultimate doom, and the other, the next stage! Don't disappoint Sasuke-Kun, Chibi-Chan!_

_~Orochimaru_

There was a door and a window. But which one would lead him to the rest of the test? Naruto groaned. Really, this was too easy. Orochimaru knew how good he was with clones. He pinned his hands together and murmured, "Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" A clone popped up next to Naruto and it saluted before going to open the door. Instantly a volley of kunai shot out, and the clone, unable to escape, was caught and popped away. Naruto caught site of another note, stuck to the handle of one of the kunai. He untied it and unrolled it from the handle to read it.

_Good Luck!_

"Good L-?" Naruto jumped backwards, dropping the note. On the back, hidden, was an explosive tag, and already the chakra-created bomb was nearly at the end, where it would explode. Naruto quickly tipped the bed into a shield and ducked behind it, the over-turned bed providing shelter.

The tag exploded, blackening the walls and filling the room with smoke. Naruto covered his ears with a wince as his delicate hearing was assaulted, coughing as his equally sensitive nose objected to the thick smoke filling the room. "Nice one, snakey!" he hissed.

He propped open the window gently, the smoke trailing out, and when nothing happened, slowly climbed out onto the grass. _Oh yeah, the hideouts are halfway underground…so of course the window is on ground level. _

Naruto, on all fours, watched his surroundings closely, totally alert. He clambered the rest of the way out, and stood in a crouch. Testing his senses there were no chakra signatures anywhere near. He walked forward and as if in a sixth sense felt something closing in on him. It wasn't like when he sensed a person's chakra signature, but more like a tickle in the back of his mind.

Naruto spun around to engage the attack that was thrown at him. He ducked the kunai and an instant later jumped straight up to avoid the smoke bombs, landing panting on a branch. He quickly surveyed his surroundings and wondered why the triggers where going off in one particular spot.

Naruto jumped up to the next branch and grabbed hold with his hands, swinging up to another until he got a clear view. _The traps are being triggered in a perfect cluster, like a barrier. Obviously that's the way they're trying to stop me from going. Towards the river._

Naruto sighed. "So troublesome…" and laughed when he was reminded of his lazy friend. He leapt forward off the branch back onto the ground, quickly flipping to avoid the sinkhole activated due to his passing. Landing on his feet he hurled himself to the left after hearing the unmistakable sound of kunai whistling through the air. Rolling as he hit the ground he flattened himself to the grass as a large fireball exploded around him. After standing up he ran forward, leaping over a trip wire only to set off a ground bomb and having to shove all his chakra into his feet. Much like when they'd been learning tree climbing he exploded off of the ground from the force, clearing the blast, dropping back down after it cleared. That spot where the bombs had been was safe now that it had activated.

Naruto stopped, panting lightly. Of course he didn't have his weapon pouch, so he couldn't trigger anything ahead of him. He growled in annoyance, wishing he was back in his mindscape with Kyuubi. "Great!" he hissed, tan hands clenching in annoyance. He thought of the time when Sakura had split the ground to reveal Kakashi.

"Maybe…I could replicate it with a Rasengan…?"

Naruto quickly started to focus chakra into his hand. Long ago he had learned how to make one without a clone. He added his natural wind element and the Rasengan grew in size and power. Naruto drew his arm back and slammed the ball into the ground.

" Oodama Rasengan!" (1) he cried, and as the forcde ripped apart the ground the traps were set off, completely out of range of him. Naruto stood and dusted off his hands, laughing triumphantly, a slight smirk on his lips as was natural for him these past few years. He ran forward, not putting it past the snake to set off more traps, and he really didn't want to hang around to wait for them. He made it to the water's edge unscathed. He stepped gently out onto the water and balanced there, unsure as to what to do next, or where to go.

"Dobe."

Naruto sprang around, already in his fighting stance. Sasuke walked forward on the water chuckling, looking almost relieved at seeing Naruto unharmed until his eyes flickered to his neck, where the blood was still streaked over his tan skin. A look of something close to regret flashed through his eyes, and then quickly disappeared before Naruto could register it. "Tense there, aren't we, dobe?" he called.

Naruto snarled. "Tense? Of course I'm tense, Teme! These tests are pathetic but they keep me on edge. What do you want? Are you the other part of the test?" He hated being called an idiot, especially because it brought back memories he didn't want to think of; memories of Sasuke saying it with an almost endearing tone to it, that tiny smile that he only showed Naruto twitching on his lips. It hurt Naruto to think of such things, but he couldn't imagine Sasuke calling him anything else.

Sasuke smirked. "Actually, yes, dobe, I am." Sasuke quickly pulled out his short-bladed katana, wasting no time to try and get the upper hand, and swung it in a pattern that Naruto followed with his eyes. Naruto knew what he was going to do, and he was much too fast for Sasuke to track with his eyes. "Chidori Naga-ah?" he cried. The jutsu fell away into nothing as it was incomplete, his chakra disrupted.

Naruto had intercepted him the second Sasuke had made the first sword stroke. He caught the sword between a kunai he'd stolen from the traps and his arm. Naruto pushed Sasuke backwards and threw the kunai, which Sasuke deflected quickly. He looked faintly surprised, but Naruto was wasting no time. He needed to show Sasuke that he wasn't the old Naruto who would hold back. He was no longer that naïve and he would show him.

Naruto ran through multiple handseals. "_Kaze No Yaiba!" _Naruto cried. Directed by his hands, a strong gust, similar to a blade, cut through the air to hit Sasuke in the chest. Sasuke coughed with tiny specks of blood, the force driving it up out of his chest. "How…?"

Naruto smirked at the shocked look on Sasuke's face, deciding he had a little bit of time to spare and he'd grant Sasuke the answer. "I trained with Jiraiya-Sensei, and also with Baki and the Sand Siblings for a time. Not to mention Kyuubi remembers everything I've seen, so it's like having a personal Sharingan. I have started on Sage Mode, as well, but seeing as I will not be seeing Jiraiya-Sensei soon it will remain incomplete for a while."

Sasuke, despite trying not to show he was impressed, was unable to hide the smallest smidgen of it. Naruto chuckled and flashed through another set of handseals, getting quickly back into the game. A very deadly game if they messed up. _"Mizu Bunshin No Jutsu!"* _Ten water-based Naruto clones appeared from the river and engaged Sasuke. He'd gotten that one by going back into his memories and watching Zabuza do it.

Sasuke cursed and flashed through handsigns to try and avoid the clones that advanced on him, making it hard to concentrate on his move. _"Katon Goukakyuu No Jutsu!"* _he shouted, and a large fireball engulfed the clones. They melted back into the river, turning back into plain water and being swept downstream. But Naruto wasn't waiting for him to collect himself. The moment the water had hit the fireball it had exploded into steam, something Naruto had been hoping for.

Naruto took the chance and ran forward through the smoke and steam. It was a perfect cover. Naruto felt his chakra start the jutsu and right as he burst through the cover he yelled it. _"Kanashibari No Jutsu!" (6) _Sasuke froze, immobile. Naruto walked up, schooling his features into one of indifference.

"You were easier than I thought, Teme."

Sasuke was boiling with rage. He rarely ever lost to Naruto, and this time he'd done it simply because Sasuke had gotten careless! With a cry he burst from the technique and into the first stage of the Curse Mark. The marks moved across his body, flaming red and purple and fading to black as they settled. His sword was quickly in his grasp and he didn't even realize what he was doing as he let the electricity flow from him out to the blonde standing in front of him. Naruto gave a cry as he fell to his knees, the shock making his chakra go haywire. Without it being there to balance him on top of the river, he disappeared quickly under the water.

Sasuke stood on the water waiting, tense. A few seconds passed. Half a minute. A minute. Dread settled in his stomach, as well as guilt and horror. Sasuke ran forward, searching for him. "Kuso!" he cried. Chidori Nagashi disrupted the flow of chakra for a while, and also paralyzed them for a time. If Naruto couldn't get to the surface to breathe for that amount of time, he'd be unconscious and with how deep and wide the river was it was doubtful he'd be washed ashore in time.

Consumed in his rage, he'd also forgotten that Naruto was still healing from when he'd been marked. "Naruto!" he cried. He threw his short-bladed katana to the bank and dove under the water. It was extremely hard to see, and he only hoped Naruto's bright hair would alert him to where he was. Oh Kami this was his fault. He'd been petty because Naruto had won, foolish in his rage, and now Naruto could be hurt. Where…where?

Sasuke caught, in the edge of his vision, a flash of orange. He swam over and quickly grabbed the object. He grit his teeth in desperation when he saw it was just Naruto's jacket. Sasuke swam up for a breath, holding onto the familiar object. Throwing it towards the bank he scanned the water again, hoping beyond hope he'd catch a flash of color. He didn't have time to try and scold himself for letting his emotions run free, he could only feel the terror of losing someone important to him. There was a large splash, and Sasuke spun to look. A hint of gold was visible from above, and Sasuke knew it was the vessel. "Naruto!" Sasuke cried, lurching forward to dive once more under the water.

It was actually smart; if not freezing and hard to move where he wanted to go. If he were to use chakra and run on the water he could easily be left behind because of the current, and he might lose track of Naruto since now only his black tank top was over his torso. Sasuke reached out his hand as he swam closer, and a small, weakening one grasped feebly onto it. Sasuke pulled and focused chakra to his feet. Instantly they were once more above water, Naruto coughing and spluttering, his eyelids limply drooping. Sasuke hauled Naruto up into his arms and to the bank, setting him there. He was desperately trying to keep up his blank mask. _I did __not __freak out because Naruto could have been hurt. I simply didn't want Orochimaru to be angered at losing his latest pet._

Convinced, yet in denial, Sasuke watched Naruto cough up water shivering despite the pleasant air. "You need new clothes." Naruto spun around with a snarl, looking insulted. But Sasuke knew it was fake. He was trying to protect himself, push Sasuke away because he had been scared. "I do not!" he growled before he grabbed his soaked jacket off the ground and stalked off.

Sasuke watched him go. Something was wrong with this. Naruto was stalking through a destroyed battle field, clutching his jacket protectively. There was something sorrowful with the scene. It reminded Sasuke that Naruto really was alone. Then he heard it. Small sniffles and the catches in his breathing, along with his hunched shoulders, made it obvious. Naruto was crying. Sasuke groaned. Great. Just great. He ran forward and tapped Naruto's shoulder. He was surprised at what he was met with. Naruto froze and stood there, head bowed and trembling.

Then he sobbed and fell to his knees where he pressed his forehead to the ground, quietly sobbing. "N-Naruto?" Sasuke stuttered, shocked at the boys behavior.

Naruto just grasped silently at his neck, the blood long washed off in his episode in the river. "What?" Sasuke didn't understand what Naruto was silently trying to communicate, and tried not to grow irritated with the blonde. Honestly he didn't know how to act around someone who was crying.

Naruto sat up on his knees and raised his head to the boy next to him, looking feeble and trying to keep up a brave face. "My necklace is gone."

Sasuke stepped backwards to watch him with sharp eyes before scoffing. "It was just a necklace dobe-eh?" He trailed off when Naruto leapt up and grabbed the collar of his shirt. He was soon staring into oceanic blue depths- and it fit. A small sheen of unshed tears made his eyes, which used to be the perfect crystalline, uncategorized blue, made them into a dark blue ocean of sorrow.

"It wasn't just a necklace!" he growled, rage filling his voice and beating out the unbearable sorrow. "It…It was my mother's…."

Sasuke's eyes widened, trying to placate him as well as get out of his grip. "I thought…your parents…"

Naruto threw Sasuke backwards, watching as he stumbled and righted himself. "My mother! She gave it to Tsunade who gave it to me! My mother…Kushina Uzumaki…The Red Death…it's hers and it's all I have left of her!"

Sasuke froze up. "T-The Red Death?" They had learned about the Red Death in the Academy. She was from the Whirlpool village. She had flaming red hair, and her personality matched it. She had killed an entire troop of three-hundred ninja that had been trying to ambush her village. She was so dangerous troop leaders issued a flee-on-sight order if she ever appeared on the battlefield. Naruto hadn't really meant to let it slip, but now that he had Sasuke was starting to realize the similarities. The incredible battle prowess, the intense fiery behavior.

Suddenly Naruto jumped up, running for the river. His eyes were set in determination and it seemed he had an idea of what to do. He disappeared, and Sasuke saw him on the other side of the water, and he certainly looked rather strange, or at least different in Sasuke's eyes. He was just so petite, and the muscles were lean instead of bulky. He was clothed in his orange bottoms and black tanktop, and Sasuke had never seen him without his jacket.

"_Mizu Kensaku No Jutsu…" _

He slowly moved his hands out, and the river glowed a chakra-blue. Then Naruto's eyes snapped open and the glow vanished. "There!" he cried, and dove back in. Sasuke leapt to his feet, terror momentarily seizing his heart, but Naruto had already resurfaced. Sasuke let himself breathe a low sigh of relief, and then mentally slapped himself for even worrying over something Naruto obviously had control over. His emotions were getting out of control.

There, dangling in his teeth and flashing in the sunlight, was the necklace. "How…?"

Naruto clambered out of the water and shook the water from his hair. Sasuke was enchanted, watching the droplets glint like diamonds in the sun. He pulled his eyes away, face twisting into an unhappy scowl as Naruto started to ring out his shirt. He watched as he kissed the crystal, putting it on very carefully so that it hung on his chest once more.

"It was a very old technique from my mother's side. In Whirlpool, there was a large river that set up one of the boundaries of the village. Many times during the war they would lose things in there, driving the enemy onto the water where they were most comfortable. They created a technique to search through the water to such minute degrees it was similar, and even rivaled, the byakugan, except we can see things that don't even have signatures." He smiled, and it didn't reach his eyes.

Something was wrong with how Naruto looked. Something more than Sasuke had already realized. He knew Naruto had changed emotionally, but something was off about him. With a start, he realized what it was. Naruto, despite betraying his village and obviously hating it, had yet to get rid of his headband. "Naruto…take off your headband."

Naruto froze. Instantly he remembered how his heart had fluttered with pride as Iruka, bloodied and hurt, gave him his headband to signify he was a Shinobi. Iruka was one of the few he really loved, and it was all he had left of the man seeing as he was now the enemy of Konoha. He didn't want to part with it, but at the same time it had stopped being Iruka's headband. So he really should get rid of it. Not that he was going to let Sasuke break him down too easily.

"No."

"Naruto…do you really want to wear the symbol of a village that shunned and beat you? That never saw past your mask? Don't think I don't know. You can't hide that much from me. Orochimaru told me about what happened to you, or what he suspects. Start again, Naruto. Take it off." He watched Naruto carefully, trying to offer him support without seeming too friendly. His emotions were starting to piss him off.

Naruto hesitated and then finally, slowly, took off the headband. Sasuke's breath caught in his throat and he passed it off as a cough. He'd never seen Naruto without his headband on, and he looked small and beautiful with his hair gently framing his face and eyes. It made his eyes look even more gorgeous. Sasuke turned pink and tried to force it down. He tried to deny it, but after a minute he realized he couldn't deny that he really did think his old best friend was stunning.

And even with the jacket off! He looked astounding. Sasuke looked away to hide the slight blush on his cheeks. "What…do I do with it…?"

Sasuke turned at the sad words. Obviously Naruto was still unsure if this was the best thing to do, and looked rather conflicted. Caught between wanting to keep the memento and wanting to get rid of anything having to do with the village he despised. "Get rid of it Naruto. I'll do it with you." Stating it gruffly and clearing his throat as he saw the emotion in Naruto's eyes. Emotion that was rarely ever there anymore.

Sasuke walked Naruto to the water's edge, and he guided his hand out over the water, his larger hand covering the small tan one. "Let it go, Naruto…" he whispered in Naruto's ear. Naruto's hand opened and slowly, so slowly, the headband fell into the water, and washed away out of sight with only a slight blink of silver under the water.

Sasuke sighed and steered his dobe away from the water. Er, not HIS dobe of course he was just Naruto! JUST Naruto. Trying to distract himself he turned to the jacket still on the sand and sneered at it, hating the garish piece of clothing. "Now about your wardrobe…"

Just then Orochimaru made his entrance, clapping. He looked into Naruto's eyes with a smile, reading something there that apparently only he understood. "You managed to awaken your curse mark, and you passed the test. Welcome to Sound, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze."

Naruto's eyes widened and he leapt forward, trying to stop Orochimaru from saying the last word. But the damage was already done, Sasuke had already heard. He froze at Sasuke's intake of breath, cursing and glaring furiously at the sennin in front of him.

"N-Namikaze…?"

Orochimaru chuckled. "Looks like we need some explaining…" he looked over Naruto's body, "And a new wardrobe."

Naruto bristled.

"There is _nothing_ wrong with my _WARDROBE!_"


	3. Sensei, A Shopping Spree?

**Note: **This was re-written on March 31, 2012 opposed to its initial published date of April 8, 2010.

**Disclaimer: **Ido not own Naruto or any of the characters involved in it.

~Forever, A Day, And An Eternity

It hadn't taken long to explain to the last Uchiha how Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina were Naruto's parents, how the boy's father had saved the little nymph from being kidnapped and eventually had taken the Kyuubi from its original host, Kushina, and transferred it into Naruto shortly after birth. Naruto had been slowly trying to slip away into the sunlight dappled forest around them when Orochimaru wrapped up the explanation, and as Sasuke started to look towards him, realized he didn't have his chance anymore and quickly turned, trying to escape. He was faster than Sasuke, but not fast enough.

Easily he was snagged by the elder nin, who had grabbed the back of his shirt. Naruto fought against his grip, but was quickly pushed forward into a tree until he ceased his struggling. The bark bit into his cheek and chest, but not enough to truly hurt. Sasuke was simply annoyed, not intending to punish him. Naruto snorted at the though. _Punished. Humph. Already becoming a pet of sound aren't I?_

He followed moodily as Sasuke led the way towards the main street, the canopy overhead creating small shafts of light that danced as the leaves rustled. The desert setting of the hideout had been replaced with trees, though nothing like those that gave Konohagakure its name. If there was one thing Naruto did appreciate about that place it was the lust forestry surrounding the gates of the village. Many times Naruto had slipped out of the village to explore the hidden depths of those trees, the places that held glowing eyes at night. Where Naruto discovered his affinity for animals, and how they all bowed to him, could understand him. Kyuubi was their ruler as the lord of the beasts, and because Naruto was so closely tied to him, he could understand their language of silence, almost as clear to him as words.

Realizing he was lost in thought staring at the leaves that rustled above him, he resumed his struggling as they left the small cluster of trees and began the walk into town. Eyes narrowed into dangerous cobalt slits he hissed in anger at the strong hand still clutching the back of his shirt.

The conversation went a little like this.

"Damn it Teme I don't need new clothes! Who are you to drag me wherever you want? Let go of me!"

"Fucker! I'm not your pin-up doll!"

"Bastard! Lemme go, you stupid sem-TEME!"

As you can see, until then it was a little one-sided.

However at that slipup Sasuke stopped moving, turning to his now furiously blushing captive. Naruto tried to glare at him, refusing to admit to his mistake. It was a simple mistake; one Sasuke was over analyzing once again. A predatory smirk spread across the Uchiha's features, one brow raising as he took in the furious eyes and blushing cheeks. "What were you saying, dobe?" he purred. Naruto merely bared his teeth, refusing to let Sasuke enjoy his embarrassment. After a few moments of stubborn silence, Sasuke rolled his eyes and decided he wouldn't be getting a response out of Naruto anytime soon on that matter. However as soon as he started dragging the petite blonde again, he was being screamed at again, this time about him stretching the blonde's shirt out and manhandling him.

Luckily they were in a sound village, so they hadn't needed to disguise themselves, though they each got their respective odd looks. Naruto for being a fierce golden blonde, which is abnormal everywhere, especially Sound. They all knew he was the host for the Kyuubi, seeing as they'd clashed with Konoha enough time to figure out who the vessel was. He was also drawing looks simply for what he was doing and saying. Because he was currently ranting and screaming at _Uchiha Sasuke _and the older boy simply smirked. He hadn't killed the blond yet! Sasuke's temper was well-known and feared. He was heartless and aloof, and seeing him act in such a familiar manner towards the spitfire was a little discerning. Sasuke got looks for being incredibly powerful and vapid, and for being 'Orochimaru-Sama's' main boy. They all quickly averted their eyes though, choosing instead to stare in wonder at the little blonde in his grasp.

The first store they were allowed into right away, directed by a trembling civilian. Naruto cast wary looks around the store, used to being kicked out of them and shunned. Naruto followed Sasuke around the store in complete boredom as the older male picked out clothes to his leisure. Of course, Sasuke picked out Anbu-like clothes for the fuming blonde- he couldn't fight in civilian clothes, now could he? After picking through the other racks for different types of clothing, he placed them in the arms of the civilian helper. Finished, Sasuke turned just as Naruto had had enough and tried to slip out the door. Sasuke leapt forward, snagging him up once more. He pulled the boy to his chest and gave a growl of warning, his chest vibrating. He really didn't expect Naruto's reaction. The boy froze at first, and then jumped onto his toes to be level with Sasuke's ear. Naruto was flush against him and gave an answering growl, one that was sultrier. His eyes had bled to red, and then he blinked in confusion and they turned back to blue. Obviously Kyuubi had taken Sasuke's growl as a challenge and momentarily taken over. Naruto opened his mouth, obviously confused as to why he was in Sasuke's arms, and why the older nin had such a strange look on his face. Obviously it was a blank spot for him, those few seconds.

Quickly he backed away and grabbed Naruto's shirt again. Dragging the poor confused boy to the clothing rack of civilian clothing, Sasuke held him by the back of his shirt, not even caring as he dragged Naruto towards the dressing room. Grabbing the clothes from the helper, he shoved Naruto into the room, taking his necklace hostage to ensure Naruto would try on the clothes. There had been a lot of screeching and hysteria when he'd taken it, but he'd assured the boy he'd give it back if he changed. Naruto had finally retreated with a last scathing remark and a wish for death in his eyes. There was momentary shuffling behind the door as Sasuke lounged on the couch outside, waiting for him. When Naruto walked out of the dressing room, Sasuke was stunned into silence as Naruto fidgeted nervously with the clothes he was wearing.

The shirt was actually a tank-top, a dark navy blue with a red stripe across the bottom. There were two pairs of straps, a thin pair over his shoulders as was normal, and two thicker ones that draped off the shoulder. The pants were a dull silver with a thick studded black belt. Attached to the side was a simple black chain that connected on the belt loop next to it. It was elegant and simple, but extremely attractive, especially with Naruto's headband gone. Orochimaru had been clear that they needed to purchase civilian clothes, seeing as he wanted Naruto to be hard to recognize should he ever go undercover. It was a bit gothic, but with the cold look in his eyes it matched perfectly with his attitude. Half gothic, half cute. Really he didn't know how Naruto pulled it off.

Sasuke blinked, noticing Naruto was awaiting his reaction. "Buy it." He stated simply, and he pushed Naruto back in to try on the kimono he'd picked out. He had a list: civilian clothes, ceremonial/festival clothes, and ninja clothes. Of the one Naruto had already had on in the civilian style, Sasuke had collected jeans in different styles and colors, and a few shirts in short sleeve and long sleeve as well as sweaters and a jacket that Naruto had refused to let go of. It was a plain white hoodie with a black zipper, the only design being a black stitched fox. Obviously he'd fallen in love with it. Although Sasuke had to admit the white certainly brought out his exotic tan and golden hair. Naruto tried on the kimono and walked out, blushing a pretty pink.

The kimono was just plain dark red all the way through, with slits near the legs for free movement- though adorable the blonde was still a ninja, and needed to fight even in unexpected situations that would require the kimono. The tie was black and had a bow in the back. The clasp at the hip where the kimono closed was black and silver, and black scattered sakura leaves decorated the bottom. Sasuke nodded appreciatively, nodding before waving him back in. Naruto grumbled something about silent bastards but disappeared back inside. The last outfit was his nin clothing.

Naruto gave a short gasp of surprise upon finding the outfit. There were actually two, one for training the other for missions. Picking up the training set, he slipped it on and walked back out.

Naruto walked out wearing baggy pants, cut to just below the knee where the band tightened just enough to keep it in place. The material was exactly the same as sweat-pants, and they were black. His shirt was a long-sleeved shirt that had sleeves that could be rolled up and buttoned in place should the weather become hotter. The material was a dark orange, something Sasuke had gotten one of if only to appease the boy with his unnatural love of orange. The ends of the sleeves covered until his fingertips when fully unrolled. "Very nice. Buy it." He mumbled the first part, and the confusion in Naruto's eyes said he made the cut.

The mission outfit was almost exactly like Konoha's ANBU outfit, but with the Sound symbol instead of the Konoha swirl. There were a few alterations, but Naruto was familiar with it and was glad that something at least was pretty much universal in every village. After trying on to ensure it fit, he walked back out and placed them in the bags along with the other colors and outfits he hadn't shown but had tried on. Sasuke walked with him to the register, quickly paying. The civilian cowered under his glare when he fumbled with the register, and they were soon leaving the store. Naruto merely rolled his eyes at the Uchiha's behavior. Some things just never change.

It hadn't taken long for them to reach the outskirts of the market. Sasuke refused to let go of the blonde boy, having grabbed on to his shirt once again and, in response, Naruto refused to quit struggling, whining, cursing, and carrying on. "Will you at least let me carry the bags?" he grumbled, being dragged behind the infuriating male.

"No."

Naruto gave a frustrated scream, and then paused as if he realized something he'd totally looked over. He quieted, contemplating and mulling over everything he'd missed, examining the angles. Wary, but curious, the Uchiha looked down at the suddenly silent blonde, wondering if he was about to be attacked out of sheer frustration. Naruto's eyes were narrowed in thought, and he was now tapping tanned fingers against his thigh in a pattern Sasuke couldn't follow.

"Why did you buy these for me?" he asked, blue eyes suddenly calculating looking into his eyes. Sasuke gave him a curious look, and was about to retort sarcastically but then he realized the absolute shock in those oceanic depths, trying to remain hidden. Snorting to keep up his feigned indifference, he decided to simply answer with a question. "Because I wanted to. Because you need them. Haven't you ever had someone buy you a gift?" he questioned, incredulous, unable to keep it from his voice despite his efforts.

Naruto shrugged like it was no big deal. "Only buying me ramen…I've never celebrated a birthday either…you shouldn't have wasted your money." Gritting his teeth he lurched out of the dark-haired boys' grasp, snagging the bags. He quickly, with ultimate precision born of a child trained to the point of unconsciousness, snagged and opened a scroll, sealing the materials away in seconds. With a flurry it closed again, dropped back into the pouch at his waist. He jumped towards the trees, finding footing on the first branch and running back towards Sound. He didn't know why, but he just needed to get out of there, get away from Sasuke.

Sasuke instantly ran forward, intent on catching the angered kitsune. Not that Naruto was angry at him, of course- Naruto was angry at what he'd lost because of Konoha. Sasuke and Naruto were nearly perfectly equal in strength, but Naruto's slim stature and Kyuubi's influence made him incredibly fast and flexible, able to avoid branches faster than Sasuke.

Sasuke cursed, quickly flashing into a one-handed seal. Naruto was starting to gain ground, and Sasuke refused to let him get too far away. "Seigyo Gijutsu!" he growled as he ran forward, keeping the boy in his sights. Naruto's body lurched to a stop, trembling. His feet were stuck firmly on the branch he'd landed on. His curse mark grew, covering his body in rose-petal patterns before fading away once again. He stayed where he was as Sasuke walked up to him, grabbing him by the front of his shirt.

"Don't ever run from me…" he hissed, dropping the boy and the technique. Naruto reacted with a solid punch to the face.

~1 Hour Later~

Sasuke's door opened without a sound. Turning to face the intrusion, he set down the scroll he'd been reading out of. From the doorway came a soft, almost hesitant voice. Familiar, but in a different tone than he was used to. His name. "S-Sasuke?"

"Come in, Naruto." He called, even though the door was already partially opened. The golden boy walked in, eyes wary but determined. He bowed at the waist, hair covering his exotic features. Now Sasuke was concerned- even to the Hokage, Naruto had never shown respect of any kind- something Sasuke respected him for.

"What is it, Naruto."

Naruto straightened with the words, looking Sasuke in the eyes. "I…" Naruto lost his nerve. He dropped his head, letting the blonde hair cover his features once more. Sasuke waited, slightly impatient but curious as to what the boy wanted, and it seemed, from him. Naruto's head snapped up once more, and Sasuke was taken aback as the fire returned to Naruto's eyes, making him shiver in near-delight. He was a master of Katon Jutsu's, and yet this fire was one he could never tame. It made him simply mad with the need to tame it, break it, make it his, and then give it back, only to take it back once more.

Shoving his darkening thoughts away, he focused on what Naruto was about to say. "I want you to train me."

Sasuke nearly fell of the bed, mouth slackening but he refused to let it fall open in shock. "W-What?" he gasped, nearly choking. Naruto repeated his phrase. "I want you to train me."

Sasuke tingled at the name. He considered it for a moment. "Why."

Naruto's hardened gaze met his once more. "When you were still with me in that wretched village, we were always trying to gain the upper hand. It ended up in well…this. I won't completely bow down to you, but I want to have you share your knowledge as I will share mine. We both know we're evenly matched in strength. I don't want to try and beat you. I want to become an unstoppable team. I want to free Sound from what people assume to be evil, and I want to bring down Konoha," The last word was spit out like venom, and Sasuke blinked slightly, knowing that even more hate was beneath those words, yet Naruto had still shown how plainly he wanted to…stay?

"You want to stay? You will stay by my side?" Sasuke cut himself off there, eyes widening in shock as Naruto blinked at him with large eyes, almost as if confused. Once more the blue hardened to cut sapphire- "Yes. I will stay by your side." Sasuke walked forward, to the blond-haired beauty. "Kneel."

Naruto fought the urge to spit something back, he hadn't wanted Sasuke to be above him, but he obeyed. Sasuke touched his curse mark with two fingers, and started inserting his chakra. "Your bond is already given to me. Looks like we're a team again."

Naruto's eyes widened, and before he could contain himself he lunged at Sasuke, tackling him in a hug. "Thank you, te-" Naruto paused, and then refinished, this time his voice strong and confident. "Thank you, Sasuke."

Sasuke grumbled, uncomfortable with the sudden touch. Naruto seemed to realize this and easily let go of him again. They stared at each other for a few long moments before, shyly, Naruto smiled and held out his pointer finger. Sasuke's eyes widened and then settled into a rare tiny smile, just as they had all those years ago, long before Sasuke had learned of revenge, and before Naruto had given up hope on life. Slowly Sasuke extended his hand, linking their fingers together. With a small little shake, it was sealed.

A team.


	4. Training Day 1, Conflicting Emotions

_**PLEASE NOTE, CHAPTER TWO HAS BEEN REWRITTEN. PLEASE GO BACK AND READ IT AGAIN.**_

Tikkakaramelli/Kumiperuna- AGAIN thank you SO MUCH for pointing out what I've missed! You're my new fave critic! And you're so nice about it! I am going to point out why Naruto hates Konoha, and to answer your question, I know Naruto would NORMALLY do things his way but this is how I see it- Naruto is kinda alone in Sound, with only Sasuke to really rely on. He has no clue about the curse mark, and Sasuke does, but he also hasn't seen Sasuke in years, and he wants to grow strong WITH Sasuke, not be his rival in a sense? He wants to be stronger, but he wants the friendship of Sasuke, and grow strong with that friendship, instead of constantly battling to be stronger than the other and let hate tear them apart! (I didn't reply to your review on accident so I replied here again ^^;;)

ON WITH THE STORY!

~~Forever, A Day, And An Eternity~~

The day was chillingly normal for the first few hours, but Naruto knew that would soon become entirely estranged the moment the last Uchiha walked in the door. Naruto had been balancing a kunai on his finger with a level amount of chakra when the door swung open without a knock. Naruto lost his concentration and the kunai fell to the ground with a clang of noise. Sasuke strolled easily in, dark eyes emotionless and bored as they swept the room.

Naruto shivered when that gaze met his and it changed to veiled heat. Like a Katon Jutsu ready to spring out but not yet finished or decided. Naruto stood from the bed he'd been lounging on, orbs never leaving his ex-teammate. The kunai lay forgotten on the floor between them, an invisible subconsciously acknowledge barrier between them, a line they could not cross until they both wanted it as equally as the other. But what they wanted eluded their grasp, and slipped away from their minds, leaving them wondering.

Both shook off the thoughts internally. "Sensei," Naruto acknowledge with a hint of a smirk teasing the corners of his mouth. Sasuke's eyes flashed with a foreign emotion but he nodded lightly to the notice. Sasuke silently motioned for Naruto to follow him, turning and moving out the door, footsteps echoing in the large chamber. Naruto jumped after him, settling in a comfortable rhythm, strides matched until it sounded as if only one person were moving down the hall.

Naruto snatched Sasuke's eye from the side of his vision. "What are we doing today?" he murmured quietly. Sasuke smirked, breaking their eye contact and looking forward again. "You'll see."

The sunlight was a bright burst, a solar flare in Naruto's vision as they stepped out of the cool underground tunnels. Naruto moved one hand up to shield his eyes to scan the area, noting a few spare Shinobi's running around. Many saluted, bowed, or acknowledged the pair, as if it was a rule that they feared yet respected. Naruto curiously watched as Sasuke returned the motions with slight nods of his head, though he looked vacantly bored. A few even bowed to Naruto, who just stood there dumbfounded before copying Sasuke's movement and hurrying past.

The scenery changed to a wide expanse of crushed grass, a field where obviously many had battled and trained. Sasuke lowered himself into a meditative position, motioning for Naruto to do the same. His pupil obeyed and they sat across each other in the field, waiting for the other to talk. Sasuke relented first. "Why do you want me to teach you." It was more of a command to answer than a question, but Naruto's experience in understanding the young man led him to not be offended.

"When we were in Squad 7, we used our rivalry to grow stronger," Naruto began, eyes reserved as they bore into Sasuke's, demanding a reply. Sasuke nodded, remembering the time long before, when Naruto had been innocent and Sasuke had been as close to that as he could. "But that rivalry bred hate." Sasuke withheld a wince at this, remembering the rooftop battle and the battle at the Valley of the End. Their last encounter was not so much a battle as a claim.

"I still want to grow stronger. Even then my goal was to be at your side, ever strong and equal with you." Sasuke acknowledged this statement as well, but he squashed the flutter at Naruto's words, wanting to stay by his side. "I still want to be equal with you…but I want it to be with no hate, no revenge. To do that, it cannot be a competition. I want to start again, and I want you to train me."

Sasuke contemplated this information for a few moments, staring thoughtfully at the tanned Kitsune teen. "So why me? Why not Orochimaru, or the fox residing within you?" His curiosity was gnawing at him on this particular subject, and he wanted answers- after all, he was the sensei, so Naruto had to answer him truthfully.

"Because I want our bond to be unable to be severed, I want to grow strong _with_ you. Even if it thrusts me into a position where I am below you for a period of time, I will endure. I want to push you to greater heights, challenge you, and I want you to push me higher, to challenge me."

Azure blue occuli stared defiantly and determinedly into orbs of molten ebony. "We share a common goal." Naruto spoke deadly. Sasuke quirked a define eyebrow. "Oh? And what is that?" he probed. Naruto smirked devilishly in response to the inquisitive look he'd produced.

"To destroy Konohagakure, or to impose our presence to the likes of them."

Shock wound its way through the Uchiha's body- Naruto was serious. What he'd been through had been enough for him to stop his naïve play of obedience and love. He was bound and set on revenge and nothing was going to stop him.

A hum escaped Sasuke's throat and he eyed the slim male before him. "Hn. Get up."

Naruto obeyed, standing with his ex-teammate. "Now, we're going to work on your elemental drive when producing your Rasengan, as it's one of your most powerful moves, and can be molded into multiple moves. This is obviously a close-range attack, but it can be difficult to land a hit as your hand is its boundary."

Sasuke moved forward and lifted Naruto's hand tracing his palm. "Your Oodama Rasengan combines your element of Air. But we also have two more at our disposal." Naruto's confused face made the last Uchiha roll his eyes- no matter how much he'd grown, or would grow, Naruto would never lose his innocence.

"Two?" Naruto asked incredulously. Sasuke gave a feigned sigh of annoyance. "Yes, dobe. What is the Kyuubi no Kitsune made of?" Naruto bristled dangerously for a few seconds but he kept himself in check when Sasuke made two offending comments.

Naruto snorted, nostrils flaring slightly. "It's Kyuubi no Yokai to you, he says. And he's made of fire element although he can control all of them. I only have fire to my category, or the amount of chakra needed to let me control even one more element might poison my system at this early of an undeveloped age. But what's the other one?"

Sasuke had been a bit shocked by Naruto's plain understanding but he took note and brushed it off. He was the teacher, and he couldn't show his surprise to his pupil, no matter how close they had been at one point in time. Long before, before they had ever fought, before Sasuke had plunged his hand through Naruto's chest and left him multiple times. "The other is Water. That came from your mother of course, since she was from Whirlpool. However you have your father's as well, the only reason I'm not counting it as an element is because it's Light." Naruto blinked owlishly, trying to comprehend that he technically had four strong elements in his blood.

Before Naruto could open his mouth to ask another question or comment on this new discovery, Sasuke moved onward. "Now you've already combined Air with your Rasengan, making the Oodama Rasengan as I've said. But we can add Water, Light, or Fire."

Nodding in understanding, one fine blonde brow rose in a way similar to Sasuke. "So which one will we start with, then?" A water Rasengan would be easier, as Naruto was not used to the Light or Fire elements yet. He wasn't perfect, even with his Sage powers and Kyuubi's unyielding help.

Sasuke finally met Naruto's eyes fully, and Naruto instantly noted how he was trying to search deep within his cobalt eyes. The Sharingan unnerved him, knowing he could go in to see Kyuubi as he had done a few simple days ago, before he had tried to attack him and failed. Quickly, instinctively, his eyes slid down in a squint and the anger seen in those small slitted pools of blue was tremendous. "Stop that," he hissed. Sasuke jerked, and his sneer flitted onto his face just as quickly.

"Make me, _Naruto._"

Naruto's lips curled into a more feral form of Sasuke's sneer, and he warred internally with himself. Finally, he slid his eyes away from Sasuke's and to the side, showing he would obey now. Sasuke made a small noise of contentment and Naruto looked back to find that same old 'I'm better than everyone' look on his face.

"As I was going to say, we'll start with water. Surely you already knew that."

Oh, how Naruto wanted to smack him right then. Something held him back, and not just the fact he was his Sensei now. He wanted to be equal with him in every way, not have to rely on his Sage powers and Kyuubi to reach that goal. As Sasuke turned, he mimed him, their steps silent as they moved towards the edge of the field they were in. Obviously they needed a large source of water to start, until Naruto could take it from his surroundings once he mastered it. They walked in silence, their brief war lingering in their minds.

Once they stopped, standing once more on the river, he turned to face Sasuke once more. "Hn. So, make your Rasengan." Obediently, if not grumbling a little, Naruto held out his hand. The air around his hand compressed and warped, and soon small tendrils were forming, swirling together until it was fast, hard air that wouldn't stop spinning until Naruto told it to.

The Rasengan had always fascinated Sasuke, just like the Chidori fascinated Naruto. Both unattainable to the other. Sasuke did not have air on his belt, and Naruto did not have lightning. One fine brow rose as Naruto awaited instruction.

"Now, without losing your concentration on your Rasengan, focus on the water and move it towards your hand."

Naruto nodded shortly and looked down, focusing his mind and watching as the crashing of the river suddenly became disorganized in that one spot, its substance moving up towards his hand obediently as his chakra pulled at it. The Rasengan spun somewhat out of control, and Naruto had to quickly stabilize it before he could continue. The water was halfway to his hand when they both spun out of control.

Sasuke nodded contemplatively. "Well, it was better than I could have thought. Do it again." The grudging respect was enough for Naruto, and he started again.

For three more hours they practiced, until Naruto could get the water to his hand and let it spin around the air before he lost it. By then it was time for lunch, and the two stepped off the river together. The water lapped around their feet as if unwilling to let them go.

Silently they continued towards the grass field again. As they traveled through the sparse wood, a small series of yips echoed to their right. Sasuke was instantly on alert; Sound wasn't a friend of many, and there were hundreds of coded calls. Naruto however, was joyous. Laughing, he turned and knelt. A small string of similar yips soon echoed from his mouth, sounding strange yet fitting as they echoed from his mouth. Sasuke just stared in awkward confusion, not sure what to do. A few quiet moments passed, and then an orange shape was moving towards Naruto at a jog.

A small vixen shrugged through the underbrush, and as Naruto slowly put out his hand, she sniffed his palm before blinking her big black eyes and turning again, her kits ambling out to follow her. She licked Naruto's palm before turning to shepherd her kits back to their territory, and the family disappeared into the brush once more. The whole thing took just a few seconds.

The raven haired male turned to the sweetly smiling blonde, a strange look in his eyes. Happy cobalt met dark onyx. "What?" His eyes instantly became guarded; the happy blue now an icy, cold navy.

Sasuke just shook his head and sighed. "You, Dobe…" but it was affectionate. He held out his hand, and Naruto's eyes flickered from it to his face. Slowly, he placed his own on the hand presented to him, and Sasuke hauled him up. He was surprisingly light, even for being a Nin. He didn't comment, but dropped his hand and continued walking.

They ate a small lunch, just two bentos, and soon enough Naruto was getting antsy. Sasuke could swear sometimes that the kid had ADHD. Standing, finally annoyed with Naruto's childish behavior, they faced each other silently.

For another hour, the two sparred. It was like dancing, the way they moved. Quickly, they gained a crowd. Naruto had advanced in the time they had been apart, and each had their own style. Sasuke's movements were sharp, as though he was acting as his sword. They had agreed; no weapons, no jutsu.

He was always jabbing and turning, never letting Naruto rest. Naruto's style was different, of course. Growing up with the Kyuubi being an influence in his life, he evaded Sasuke in very interesting ways. Flexible, he could bend backwards to avoid something, and was constantly sliding here and there as though he was playing a game with Sasuke. As comfortable on all fours or on his hands as he was on his feet.

It was beautiful and deadly, to the crowd at least.

To the yin yang partners though, it was how they reacquainted themselves. Every time Naruto let Sasuke's blow barely graze him, it was in their language that he said 'I trust you a little'. Someday, unknown to either of them, this dance would change, so that 'a little' became 'completely'.

Their sparring grew more heated, and they were sliding under legs, tripping, and grazing. When at last they finished, Naruto looked up at Sasuke, smiled, and held out his two fingers.

Sasuke was startled. He had thought Naruto had forgotten all about this, the way Ninja's said they were still in touch with each other even after their spar. But to them, it was so much more. It was the symbol that Naruto had not forgotten their friendship, and that he was ready to rebuild the bridge Sasuke himself had burned.

Sasuke, normally so composed, noticed the shake in his hand as he reached out and locked his finger with Naruto's. And just like the first time they had done it, Naruto's eyes crinkled happily and he smiled, head tilting like it always did. And Sasuke let a small smile draw on his face. The crowd cheered, and they both jumped. Naruto turned to them, laughing as always, while Sasuke just looked at them in his detached, bored manner.

Naruto turned to a small child that was watching in awe, and waved at him, a smile on his face. The kid waved back, a smile pulling at his lips before he tugged on his father's pant leg and pointed desperately at Naruto. His dad's eyes widened and he shook his head slowly, face contorted as he started to speak heatedly towards his son. Naruto's face fell a little and then it hardened. Turning sharply, he stalked over to Sasuke. "I want to go, Sasuke."

Sasuke, having watched the whole thing, grabbed his elbow as he moved to go past him. "Wait, Dobe." Naruto stilled, turning to watch as Sasuke moved towards the father. How dare he! To do that to his Naruto! Er, to do that to his student. The crowd, already starting to move away, quickly scattered as Sasuke advanced. The man stayed, frozen by Sasuke's piercing gaze.

The man shrank back as Sasuke advanced, and the people near him quickly scattered. "Your son has taken an interest in my pupil." The words were cold and smooth, dark onyx eyes boring into the clear green eyes before him.

The father nodded shakily, "Y-Yes Uchiha-Sama…he…he didn't mean to disrupt-" Sasuke quickly cut him off there.

"He was not disrupting you fool, we had already finished our sparring lesson. The Dobe is harmless, why have you denied your son the possibility of gaining advice from an advanced ninja?" The man was working up a lie, but as Sasuke continued to stare him down, he gulped and looked away.

"He…houses that Kyuubi, we regard him as a- er, I'm sorry." Sasuke had to fight to contain himself; best not kill the man in front of his son.

Turning to the kid, he flicked his eyes at Naruto. "Well? Go ahead. We have little time, but the Dobe seems interested in you." The kid instantly scampered towards the blonde, who was staring in shock at Sasuke. Only when the kid stood before him did he look down, shocked and moving slow as if afraid to hurt him.

Sasuke glared at the man before turning on his heel and stalking back over to Naruto. "H-Hey there, what's your name?" Naruto said quietly, eyes alight with wonder. The little kid just smiled, a few of his teeth missing as he was still so young.

"I'm Kiyoshi! What's your name? I like your eyes! Is that your real hair color? How did you get so awesome? Are you better than Uchiha-Sama? How long have you known him? When did you get here? Are you training with Orochimaru-Sama?" The kid's questions ran all into each other, and his eager hazel eyes looked up adoringly at Naruto, who laughed incredulously.

"I'm Naruto, nice to meet you Kiyoshi!" Already, his sunny personality was coming out, and as Sasuke stood there, arms crossed and waiting lazily for them to finish, he let a smile drift across his face for the second time that day. Naruto blushed at the compliment, "Thank you! Everybody says they look really girly though…" The pout was convincing, Sasuke had to admit, and he knew Naruto was much more intelligent than he was acting. He was doing it for the kid's sake.

"Yep! This is my real hair color! Awesome isn't it? And yeah, I can kick Sasuke's butt," he turned and winked at Sasuke, who smirked back.

"Yeah right Dobe, you couldn't touch this." Naruto just laughed and, putting his hand next to his mouth, whispered loudly to the kid, his eyes still on Sasuke.

"I totally cooouuuld!" Sasuke growled menacingly, but the smile on his face was enough to show he was playing. "Anyways! I've known him since we were babies! We were born just a few months apart! He's older than me though…I've known him my whole life! I got here a few days ago, and yeah I'm training with the snakey man." He had purposefully skipped over the kids question on how he was 'so awesome' and Sasuke knew he was going to give one of his trademark Naruto-Speech things.

When the kid repeated his question, Naruto just cocked his head to the side and smiled. "Because I never gave up. And I found that when you have a passion for something, it doesn't matter if people hate you because you use that hate and you make yourself stronger, until you can look down at them and laugh because they can't touch you anymore."

Okay? That was a bit different from Naruto's normal speeches. Darker.

The kid then laughed as he leaned forward and whispered in Naruto's ear. Naruto's eyes widened and then he started laughing too. Sasuke quirked a brow at their odd behavior, a bit annoyed. "What?" He snapped.

The boy turned to him, his smile wide across his face. "Noootthhiinngg…" and then they started laughing again, Naruto chuckling softly to Kiyoshi's hyper giggling. Naruto just smiled at Sasuke as he glowered.

Standing, he patted the kids head. "He was just saying that…" He turned to Kiyoshi and they both snickered before he turned back, "That he thinks I could beat you any time of the day!" Kiyoshi nodded emphatically, a grin over his face as he hid behind Naruto, as if Naruto could protect him from the 'big bad Sasuke'.

Sasuke's eyes widened. "Oh really, Dobe?" Naruto just grinned, this time a bit more sly now that Kiyoshi was giggling and couldn't see him. That was answer enough. Kiyoshi seemed to notice the change and jogged away from the two to watch.

Sasuke jumped forward, throwing a punch that Naruto bent backwards to avoid, springing back up to jump over his swiping foot. They traded blows for a while, amusing the kid by making daring escapes, when Sasuke saw his opening. Naruto had kicked towards his chest and missed, and before he lost his chance, he dashed in and pushed his shoulder into Naruto's chest just as his foot hit ground again. It was gentle, but it was enough to make the already off-balance boy fall backwards.

A startled squeak came from his Dobe as he fell. Before he could move away, Naruto had snagged the front of his shirt, and soon they were both falling. Sasuke switched their positions somehow during the fall, and then the rest was flailing limbs and crashing yelps. Kiyoshi was laughing by then, and when Sasuke opened his eyes he saw a big ball of gold.

Naruto was laying on his chest, their legs tangled together and his hands on Sasuke's shoulders. Naruto pushed himself up, untangling their legs and straddling his waist. Laughter was soon bubbling from his lips after he saw Kiyoshi laughing so hard he had to sit down, and the last Uchiha just sat there and watched as Naruto reveled in his old innocence.

When the two caught their breath, Sasuke cleared his throat. "Who was the one who said he could beat me any time of the day?" Naruto turned a bit pink before his eyes narrowed with an idea.

"Who's the one on bottom then, Teme?" he teased, his voice a low purr. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, not in anger but in contemplation.

Pulling Naruto down by his tank top, he put his lips to his ear and smirked. "You were the one who wanted me to be your seme, dobe…" Naruto squealed and jumped backwards, standing over Sasuke as he pointed at him.

"Pervert!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the childish behavior, knowing he was only acting this way because for once in his life he really could. That was the only reason he was putting up with it…right?

Naruto held out his hand to help up Sasuke, a smile on his face once more. Sasuke took it, a lot faster than Naruto had expected and as he pulled himself up he also pulled Naruto forward into his chest. Naruto looked up and was too shocked to blush. Sasuke smirked, wanting to play around with Naruto a bit more.

"You know I'd top you anyways, _Naruto_…" he purred, not looking away from those soulful blue eyes. Those eyes widened, and Naruto's breath caught. It took him a second to compose himself and then his own smirk played at his lips.

"Oh? And why would that be, _Sasuke?_" His words were darker than Sasuke's, like he was taunting him from someplace dark and secretive and sexy, pulling Sasuke from the gray space to his side instead of the light side. Oh but two could play at that game.

"Because you can't help but submit to me…" Kiyoshi broke the moment then, his whine heard from all the way across the field.

"AWW BUT I DON'T WANNA GO DAD!"

Naruto turned crimson and yanked his wrist from Sasuke's gentle grasp, laughing nervously and gaping before turning and running towards Kiyoshi. Sasuke just blinked himself out of his stupor and inwardly gaped at himself. Where the hell had that come from? Slowly he began to walk towards Kiyoshi and his ignorant father, watching as Naruto set the child on his shoulders and presented his hand to the father, a warm smile on his face.

The father's face twisted and for a split second Sasuke thought he would slap the hand away, and then he grasped the hand there and the two shook on it, Naruto's head tilting as he smiled. Kiyoshi cheered from his vantage point of Naruto's shoulders.

"Must not be much of a view, eh kid?" he snorted, pulling his blade from where he'd stuck it and twirling it around his hand, easily placing it back where it was in its sheath. The blade whistled as it cut the air, and the faint click of the blade falling into place was comforting. Kiyoshi looked a bit confused, but the kid was the least of his worries, his eyes snapping to those beautiful blue orbs that were daring him to say it.

"Well he's so short, you can't be too high up," he said, a tiny twitch of a smirk on his face. How many times was that now? That Naruto had made him smile. It had always been that way after the slaughter, only Naruto could make him smile.

Kiyoshi instantly fell into laughter, but Naruto looked about ready to cuss him out. He tilted his head, and Sasuke knew he was listening to Kyuubi before a sly smile crossed his face, his eyes flashing red a split second.

"Shorter people are bigger, Sasu-Teme," he laughed, and the father choked and nearly dropped Kiyoshi from where he'd fished him off Naruto's shoulders. How dirty! Sasuke nearly choked before a thought came to him.

"But feminine people are not, Naru-Dobe," he teased. A blush dusted across Naruto's cheekbones and nose, and he punched Sasuke's shoulder as hard as he could. Sasuke moved with the blow, lessening the pain, and simply smirked at the infuriated male. The father glanced between them before he looked at Naruto. Leaning in close, he grabbed the younger boy's wrist and tugged him forward, out of Sasuke's hearing. He twitched, not liking having his pupil so far from him.

Naruto turned to the father and Kiyoshi, but before he could even ask why he had been dragged over, the father was speaking.

"You know Uchiha-Sama?" he asked in disbelief. Naruto arched a brow, leaning back a bit. This guy was getting creepier by the second. Those buggy big eyes were really unnerving. "Well yeah, he was born a few months before me. We grew up together; I've known him my whole life. Why?" The man looked him up and down, and Naruto was already itching to get back to Sasuke.

"Well, he's never like this, and I think it's because of you. Normally he would have done some pretty bad stuff to us if he caught us watching his training session, he wouldn't have joked around with 'Yoshi either, or made such lewd jokes to anybody…and he certainly never smiles!" The man was looking almost desperate now, and Naruto took a few steps back.

"Dude calm down! Anyways uh…that's weird. Yeah the Teme is a jerk, but he was never that mean…the only time I saw him like that was when he was on his way here to train and left our village. He nearly killed me, but he was crying then. He was under the influence of some dark stuff. I don't know, I mean maybe he just missed me ya know?" Naruto joked towards the end, not wanting to talk about the Valley of the End. The man's clear green eyes just stared deep into his own azure, and then he leaned towards him to whisper.

"Don't leave, alright? I've never seen him this…I wouldn't say happy, but he's certainly more comfortable, like he isn't so plagued by guilt. Like he isn't missing something, and now the anger is now just determination. You mean something to him, I just don't know what...you're special." With that, he leaned back, turned, and walked into the woods towards his home. Kiyoshi smiled from his shoulders, waving at Naruto. The blonde waved back, a bit dumbstruck and officially freaked out. That had him thinking. They couldn't keep ignoring what had happened in the past. Was Sasuke just acting? Was that why he seemed so outgoing?

There was the soft sound of footsteps, and Naruto could tell it was Sasuke. There was always a certain sound to the way he walked, and it registered in Naruto's mind before he even realized he'd done it.

"You alright there Dobe?"

Naruto turned and smiled at Sasuke, laughing a little. "He's really weird, isn't he Sasuke?" he breathed, taking a few steps towards him just to make sure that strange man wasn't coming back, glancing over his shoulder. Sasuke frowned, glaring at the man's disappearing back.

Naruto turned to look at his friend when he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure you're alright Naruto?" Maybe it was him saying his name instead of their little pet names, but Naruto had to swallow a lump in his throat. Laughing awkwardly, eyes shiny, he nodded.

"I uh…yeah I'm alright. Not that you care, Teme…" Ouch, that last part had been a bit more depressed than Naruto had meant. Sasuke's grip tightened for a second, and then Naruto was pulled off his feet and was eye-to-eye with black pools, Sasuke's hand clutching his tanktop instead of his shoulder. Clinging to the taller boy's forearms, he had to balance on his tiptoes just to remain standing, a final reminder of how short he was.

"Don't ever say that ever again, you infuriating Dobe," Sasuke hissed, but Naruto could detect the pleading tone even if Sasuke couldn't. Wide azure eyes stared into the fathomless eyes of his best friend, and realized he really meant it. But he wanted him to say it. Naruto narrowed his eyes, a snarl on his features before he could stop it.

"No, it's true damnit!" Naruto tried to shake out of his grip but Sasuke only held on tighter, one of his arms grabbing his bicep the other still on his collar. Panic settled in Naruto's stomach; something was telling him that if Sasuke held him there for too long, something was going to be said and it scared him because he didn't know what it would be.

"It's true so stop pretending! We can't just keep ignoring the fact that you almost killed me in the Valley of the End! How do I know if you've changed huh? You're acting like you did before Itachi visited you and I don't know what to do anymore! Stuff happened, we can't ignore it so stop fucking acting! I need to stay focused on my goals, Sasuke! And…and I'm not strong enough to turn you away because you're everything to me!"

Okay, so that whole thing about being afraid of what was going to be said? Well it had come from Naruto instead, which was shocking because he didn't think it would have come from him. He tore himself away from Sasuke and in a flash of red and gold he disappeared. Sasuke, shocked, could only let his arms drop and curse himself out.

"Stupid Dobe…" he growled, "You always know just what to say to make me feel fucking guilty!"


End file.
